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title: Clovis Point Winery
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When the founders of Clovis Point Winery first laid eyes on the 10-acre plot of North Fork farmland, they knew they had found the perfect spot to transform their vision of a boutique winery into a reality. The plot hit everything on their checklist—sun-swept fields, accessibility, and a picturesque 1920s potato barn that would later be transformed into a tasting room complete with mahogany doors, bluestone floors, and a heated patio overlooking the vineyards. The barn isn't Clovis Point Winery's only nod to the past. According to the New York Times, which lauds the winery as “emblematic of the versatility of some East End boutiques,” the name stems from stone spear tips believed to originate from the Clovis people, a tribe of Indians who inhabited North Fork during the Paleolithic Age.
Today, the winery has grown to span 15 acres of merlot, cabernet franc, and chardonnay vines, which winemaker John Leo ferments into award-winning wines. He also maintains the founders' original vision of keeping production on a smaller scale, producing only 2,000 cases per year to ensure that each bottle has the interesting flavors and easy-going personality reflective of its small-town upbringing.

From the road, passing cyclists glimpse rows of grapevines stretching across gently sloped hills and converging at the horizon under a beaming midday sun. The scene could easily be mistaken for Northern California or another storied wine-producing region, but it's how a normal day looks around Long Island’s North Fork area, where more than 50 wineries call the rolling vineyards their home.
Guides at Vintage Bicycle Tours bring two-wheeled travelers into the heart of the area’s wineries—as well as its many farm stands, boutiques, and views of Peconic Bay—through their signature bike tours and customizable à la carte tours. Passionate about both wine and cycling, guides supply visitors with thirst-quenching narration and all equipment, including a choice of Kent tandem comfort bikes for two or Diamondback mountain-comfort hybrid cycles. Alternatively, Vintage Bicycle Tours permits riders to bring their own bikes or all-terrain unicycles.

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title: Affordable Aircraft & Flight Instruction, LLC
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Unlike swimming, nobody learns to fly by being thrown in the deep end. Instead, it takes gradual instruction to teach students the controls and feel of an aircraft guided by their hands. Luckily, instructors Antonio Ferrara and Zachary Barrett specialize in that sort of slow-burning scholarship. Both men make their living with their heads in the clouds. Ferrara flies for a commercial airline, ferrying passengers across vast distances in enormous jets. Barrett also possesses his commercial pilot's license, along with an FAA Flight Instructor certification.
At Affordable Aircraft & Flight Instruction, LLC, the duo helps fledgling flyers find their sky legs with discovery flights and group ground school. They also teach longer courses, guiding students toward certifications as private-, multiengine-, and commercial-rated pilots.

The Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center throws its visitors into the shark tank. And the tropical lagoon. And the salt marsh. As executive director Bryan DeLuca noted in the New York Times, the center (formerly Atlantis Marine World) is one of the most interactive aquariums in the area, which snagged it a place on Parents magazine's list of the 10 Best Aquariums for Kids. The Atlantis-themed aquarium’s educational exhibits combine myth with science as they bring guests face to gills with creatures such as eels, jellyfish, seals, and clownfish. In addition to its indoor and outdoor exhibits right on the banks of the Peconic River, the aquarium delights guests with aquatic adventures such as snorkeling or receiving a photo op and kiss from loveable sea lion Java, who still dreams of one day being turned into a beautiful princess.

Just outside of Naples, Italy in a town called Dugenta, Salvatore Diliberto's family crafts its own wine each year and stores it in the cellar of the castle next door. Though miles away from the vineyard and the old stone building, Diliberto carries on the Old World techniques at his Jamesport winery, where he tends to several acres of vines including franc and chardonnay. He presses the grapes, barrel ages the wine, and bottles it with Diliberto labels?some of which bear an artistic rendering of the castle in Dugenta.
In his tasting room, Diliberto presents his specialty wines to guests during a tasting experience designed to transport them to his ancestral home. He forgoes the bar experience in favor of the small table settings that one finds staggered outside an Italian caf?. A mural on one end of the room further heightens the sense of travel, trading the North Fork for the bustling streets and sentient traffic lights of a Tuscan mountain town.

Groupon Guide

Let’s admit it: the segway has an image problem. A line of helmeted tourists zipping around Chicago’s Loop or the National Mall in Washington, DC is always enough to elicit snide remarks from the locals. No matter how fun or practical they may be, segways just aren’t cool. Except that, well, they are. After polling my coworkers and discovering that none of us had so much as set foot on a segway, I decided to sign up for a city segway tour myself. After all, there had to be a reason behind these tours’ enduring popularity. Ten seconds after hopping on a segway, I understood that reason completely.It Takes One Minute to Learn How to Ride a SegwayI signed up for a two-hour tour of downtown Nashville, which began with a 10-minute safety video about how to ride. Our group of about 10 people learned such helpful tips as “Stay off very uneven surfaces” (you’ll fall) and “Don’t try to go down stairs” (you’ll fall). Our cheerful tour guide then hopped on a segway and demonstrated its operating principles: how to move forwards, how to go in reverse, and how to stop. He hopped off and began inviting each of us, one at a time, to try it for ourselves. I was nervous, to say the least; surely I’d be the first person in history to fall in the segway training room. I shouldn’t have worried. Within about a minute, the segway felt like an extension of my legs as I criss-crossed the room, going up wooden ramps, turning, and stopping in front of the group. This was so easy, even a child could do it! (Actually, a child can do it—segway tours are usually for ages 12 and older).Segways are Incredibly ResponsiveA segway operates on a gyroscope, keeping its own balance while keeping you upright, as well. The handles on a segway are just for holding—all of the movement happens when you shift your toes to move forward and your heels to move backward. This machine senses when you’re on, when you’re off, and when you’ve run into something, and it tries to correct your balance at all times. It’s almost like a sentient pair of wheeled robot legs, which can be terrifying or comforting depending on how you think about it.You Get Over the Silliness Pretty QuicklyWhen our little group rolled tentatively out onto the sunny Nashville sidewalk, every single person we passed laughed at us or had something cute to say. Groups of teens yelled after us. An executive joked, “I’m late to a meeting, where’s mine?” An old man on a park bench hollered something cheeky. No one could let us roll along un-kidded. But you know what? Once the first 10 minutes of acute, oh-my-god-everyone’s-laughing embarrassment subsides, you just get over it. Yes, you’re wearing a lime-green helmet and following your guide like a baby duck in line. This is you. This is your life. And guess what? Your life rules.Segways are a Great Way to See the SightsTaking a segway tour is hands-down one of the best ways to see a city’s major downtown attractions. Think about it: you cover a ton of ground without wearing out your feet, and you get to ride with a cooling breeze fluttering your clothes. Better yet, your tour guide will explain everything you’re seeing and give you fun tidbits about the city along the way. Of course, taking a segway tour also proves that you can withstand gentle mocking from complete strangers, and that’s a good skill to have. You’ll step off that segway feeling stronger and even accomplished. Sure, maybe you did nothing but stand on robotic wheels, but sometimes a little risk can go a long way.

There are few things sadder than a sailboat stranded in harbor during the long winter months. Thankfully, now that summer is finally upon us, boating enthusiasts can begin to unfurl their sails and hit the water once more. But before casting off to sea, you might want to know which sailing facts are actually, well, not facts at all. We found five common myths about sailing that might be of use to you, especially if you’re planning to marry your first mate while onboard.Myth: Sailboats Always Have the Right of WayJust like cars, boats have their own complicated rules of the road—er, water. For example, when two boats cross paths, one must serve as the “stand-on” vessel (the boat that continues on its course) and the other must serve as the “give-way” vessel (the boat that turns to avoid collision). So, how do you decide which is which? It’s tricky. Whereas a motorboat has to give way to any sailboat whose engine isn’t running, a sailboat with its engine running is technically considered to be a motorboat, and the two captains must determine who has more maneuverability before making a decision. If you’re as confused as we are, check out this simple breakdown that will help prevent any nautical fender benders.Myth: Lakes Are Always Calmer Than the OceanLakes may be smaller than the ocean, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re calmer. Since all of the water is contained in a finite area, the waves tend to be closer together, resulting in more frequent motion when the wind is blowing. It’s also easier for waves to bounce off the opposite shore and further jostle the waters. So, while you’re not likely to run into a shark on Lake Michigan, there are plenty of other hazards to look out for.Myth: You Should Never Sail in the RainAlthough you should always keep tabs on the wind and never go out in a lightning storm, rain by itself can actually be a boon when sailing. Raindrops tend to calm the waters by suppressing wave formation, and a savvy sailor will know how to harness the rain’s downward force and turn it into momentum for the boat. Just be sure to check the weather report ahead of time, wear waterproof gear, and take care not to slip on the deck.Myth: Anything is Legal on International WatersCredit The Simpsons for popularizing this myth (Mr. Burns once called international waters “the land that law forgot”), but it’s still just that—a myth. While there are huge swathes of the ocean not owned by anyone, every ship has to fly the flag of its country of origin, and thus obey the laws of that country, no matter where it’s sailing. In fact, the United Nations had an entire convention on sea regulations back in 1982, when they laid out all the rules in one very dense, very law-abiding document.Only Half-Myth: Your Boat Captain Can Perform a Marriage Ceremony OnboardCan your boat captain marry you onboard? Of course he can! But only if he’s an ordained minister or someone else who has the authority to do so. Outside of that, a captain has never been allowed to marry two people just because he’s captain. No one’s sure exactly where this myth comes from, but we suspect Captain Stubing and The Love Boat may have something to do with it.Photos: Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon.

It took a couple of tries before we finally connected with Peter McClelland, a man who’s more accustomed to hearing dogs barking than cell phones ringing. As a dog-sledding expert and co-owner of White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures, McClelland spends most of his time outside among the snowy pines of Ely, Minnesota, tending to his pack of Alaskan huskies and teaching visitors the ins and outs of being a musher. Fortunately, we were able to catch the soft-spoken naturalist between dog-sledding trips to learn what an average day in his not-so-average life is like.How does your day begin?“First thing in the morning,” McClelland says, “we get up, feed the dogs, pooper-scoop the grounds, and pack our people food for the day trips. When customers start showing up, we make sure they have the right gear and are prepared for the day.”How long is your average dog-sledding trip?Most trips include a brief orientation and last from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but McClelland says that can vary depending on the distance. “On a single day,” he explains, “we’ll [sled] between 20 and 30 miles. We have a stop at lunchtime, where we build a fire and cook brats.”What’s it like to spend all that time outside?“We’re in the Superior National Forest, and it’s a spiderweb of snowy trails out here,” McClelland says, but he doesn’t seem to mind the cold. In fact, he’ll often head out on the icy rim of Lake Superior for an afternoon barbecue. Dog-sledding is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle for a while; the closest airport to Ely (population: 3,455) is two hours away, and the terrain farther out gets even more secluded.What’s your favorite part of the day?“[I love] seeing the dogs grow up and learn how to do everything,” McClelland says. “We usually start training them at four months, though they won’t pull trips until they’re over a year old.”How does your day end?“The dogs come in, everybody rubs them down, they get treats, and then they get fed their second meal.” So, what do these ultra-athletic dogs eat? “We feed them ground-up meat and a high-energy dog food that’s 32% protein and 32% fat. These dogs burn a lot of calories, so it’s a high-calorie food.” What’s something about your day that would surprise people?Films and TV shows have depicted plenty of mushers cracking whips and gruffly yelling at their team, but McClelland says it’s much more relaxed than that. “The dogs don’t have reins or anything like horses,” he tells us. “They’re hooked up to each other as a team and they follow voice commands: ‘Ge’ for right, ‘haw’ for left, ‘alright’ to go, and ‘whoa’ to stop.” People might also be surprised to learn that a dog sled doesn’t really have a place to sit down. “A sled has two runners,” McClelland explains. “You stand on the back and have a handlebar and a couple of brakes, which are your biggest friends when you’re out there.”Do you find it easy to leave your job at work when you go home?It’s hard to leave your job at work when you technically work from home. “We actually live here,” McClelland says, referring to White Wilderness’s onsite cabin. “The dogs stay outside. They each have their own house.”What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you on the trail?“We ran into a wolf one time. We ran about 100 yards before our team would stop. The wolf would watch us, then catch up slowly, and when it got too close, we’d take off. It did that for about 20 minutes.” Although adventurers aren’t guaranteed to see a wolf on every trip (McClelland says the wild creatures are actually more timid than huskies), they’re sure to be dazzled by a mode of transportation that, after more than 1,000 years, is still alive and well—if you know where to look for it. Just don’t expect the dog-sledders to answer the phone every time.Read about other ways to spend time in the snow:Five Things to Know Before You Go Cross-Country SkiingHow to Build an Igloo, as Explained by an Arctic ExplorerAn Eagle Scout’s 10 Tips for Camping in the Snow